Rapid phase out of coal essential, but not enough to hold warming below 2 degrees

This policy brief finds that a phase-out of coal plants by 2050 would achieve approximately one-quarter of the emissions reduction target necessary to limit warming to two degrees centigrade.

Under current policies warming is projected to be around 3.7°C by 2100. Completely removing coal from the electricity sector by 2050 would bring this back to around 3.2°C warming. In other words, phasing out coal emissions from the power sector alone would reduce warming by about half a degree and achieve 25% of the task of reducing warming from 3.7°C under current policies to below 2° C.